Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 19: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Inspector CRPF inspector was killed when the terrorists opened fire on a patrol party in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Monday, officials said.
The CRPF along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police was fired upon by the terrorists around 3:30 pm in the remote Chill area under Dudu Police Station jurisdiction of Basantgarh, the officials said. The CRPF Inspector Kuldip, belonging to the G company of the 187th battalion, was hit by a bullet and later succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital, they said.
The Udhampur Police posted information about this incident on its official X handle. “During area domination patrol at Chill, Dudu, exchange of fire took place between terrorists and joint parties of JKP and CRPF. In the encounter, one Inspector of CRPF suffered bullet injuries & has attained martyrdom. Operation continues,” it said.
The terrorists fled the scene in the face of strong retaliation by the joint patrolling party, the officials said, adding reinforcements have been rushed to the scene and a search operation has been launched to track down and neutralise the militants.
Monday’s attack took place in the Jammu region, which for several years, remained relatively silent compared to Kashmir. There has been a spurt of terror activities in Jammu, particularly in the southern reaches of the Pir Panjal range, which contains thick forests and steep mountains that provide cover for terrorists. On August 14, an army officer Deepak Singh was killed and a civilian injured in Doda.
Recent intelligence reports suggested that the terrorists may target highways, the lifeline in Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre decided to deploy more troops from CRPF along with local police to patrol highways and adjacent areas.
On August 10, two soldiers and a civilian were killed during a gunfight between terrorists and security forces in Anantnag. The region has witnessed attacks on an army convoy in Kathua, skirmishes in Doda and Udhampur, and a failed attack by the Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT) along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district’s Machchal sector.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 28 people, including civilians and security personnel, were killed in 11 terror-related incidents and 24 counter-terror operations up to July 21 this year. A senior official said the increased military casualties were a significant concern, which has led to the rationalisation of force deployment in the area with new combinations and strategies. The government, while maintaining a focus on securing the Kashmir Valley, has also recognised the need to bolster security in the Jammu region. This has resulted in the mobilisation of additional forces for deployment in key areas.
One of the primary objectives of the government’s new security strategy was to plug infiltration routes used by terrorists to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Security audits conducted by various agencies identified about two dozen sectors along the Line of Control (LOC) in the valley and the international border in the Jammu sector. Terrorists often take help from local guides to cross over.
The terrorists are equipped with sophisticated weapons like the American-made M4 assault ride with an infrared thermal sight and are trained in jungle warfare. Terrorists infiltrate by foot and the government has initiated a project to fence the borders. However the progress has been slow with only 70 kilometres being covered out of 180 kilometres.
The security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir is preparing for a ‘high alert’ mode in view of the forthcoming three-phase assembly polls that have been announced by the Election Commission last week. The Election Commission earlier on Friday announced the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1, and the votes will be counted on October 4.
